1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an image data printing system and an image data printing method, and particularly to an image data printing system and an image data printing method in which image data stored in a memory device is transferred through communication means to a printer provided distantly from the memory device for the purpose of printing.
2. Related Art
Conventionally, in case that an image according to image data is printed by a print device such as a printer, image data stored in a memory device such as a hard disc provided for a personal computer (hereinafter called a PC) is converted into print data capable of being recognized by the printer by use of the PC thereby to execute printing. Further, by connecting a digital camera to the printer, image data that has been already photographed and stored in memory medium of the digital camera can be printed by the printer not through the PC but directly.
The image data recorded by the digital camera has been stored in memory medium mounted in the digital camera. However, recently, in order to increase the number of the image data capable of being recorded by the digital camera, a method is proposed in which the recorded image data is transmitted through communication means to a large capacity of a memory device provided for a server computer and stored in the memory device.
In case that not only the image data recorded by the digital camera but also the image data stored in the memory device of the server computer is printed, a user utilizes a PC connected to the server computer through communication means to search a desired image stored in the memory device of the server computer, and while the image data of the desired image received through the communication means is being converted into print data capable of being recognized by the printer, by utilizing the PC, the print operation is performed.
However, since the image data is stored only in the memory device of the server computer, in case that the image is printed, it is necessary to receive the image data from the server computer every time printing is performed.
Further, the image data transmitted from the server computer and received by the printer is a compressed image data. Therefore, it is the image data of several 100 k bites. However, in case that it is converted into the print data for printing in the printer, it becomes large data of about several M bites to several tens M bites, which depends on a size of the image to be printed. Accordingly, there is a problem that when the print data is made up by the server computer and then transferred to the printer, it takes a long time to transfer the data.